Jiřina Jirásková (17 February 1931 – 7 January 2013) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

actress. She was born and died in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

Biography

She studied at the

Prague Conservatory The Prague Conservatory () is a public music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, the school offers four- or six-year courses, which can be compared to the level of a high school diploma in other countries. Graduates c ...

and later at

DAMU The Department of Dramatic Theatre (, abbreviated DAMU) is one of three departments at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (alongside the Film and TV school and the Department of Music). The academy was opened in 1945 immediately after th ...

. After graduating, she spent one year in a regional theatre in

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; ) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 94,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech R ...

. In 1951, aged 20, she moved to the Prague's

Vinohrady Theatre Vinohrady Theatre () is a theatre in Vinohrady, Prague. Construction began on February 27, 1905. It served as the Theatre of the Czechoslovak Army from autumn 1950 to January 1966. It contains a curtain painted by Vladimír Županský depicting ...

, where she spent her entire career. From 30 May 1990 to 30 June 2000, she was also the director of the theatre. Jirásková began to appear in TV in the 1950s; she played in the first Czechoslovak TV series ''Rodina Bláhova'' (Bláha Family). She got her first on-screen opportunity in the spy drama ''Smyk'', directed

Zbyněk Brynych Zbyněk Brynych (13 June 1927 – 24 August 1995) was a Czech film director and screenwriter. He directed 30 films between 1951 and 1985. Selected filmography Czechoslovakia * '' Suburban Romance'' (1958) * ''Five in a Million'' (1959) * '' ...

. She appeared in ''Every Penny Counts'' and ''Look Into His Eyes'', and also worked with comedic director

Zdeněk Podskalský Zdeněk Podskalský (18 February 1923 – 29 October 1993) was a Czech film director and screenwriter. He is one of the most successful Czech directors of comedies and musical films. Life Zdeněk Podskalský was born on 18 February 1923. He was ...

. In the 1970s, during the period of Czechoslovak "

normalization Normalization or normalisation refers to a process that makes something more normal or regular. Science * Normalization process theory, a sociological theory of the implementation of new technologies or innovations * Normalization model, used in ...

", she was forced to leave acting. According to her own words, the ban was caused by her attitude during the reform period of the 1960s. She returned in 1983 for

Karel Kachyňa Karel Kachyňa (1 May 1924 – 12 March 2004) was a Czech film director and screenwriter. His career spanned over five decades. Early life He was born on May 1, 1924, in Vyškov, Czechoslovakia. His father was a government officer. His mother wa ...

's film ''

Nurses Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

''. She appeared in more than 140 roles over 40 years. She was the Goodwill Ambassador and President (2002-2011) of the

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

Czech Committee and, in 1999, tried unsuccessfully to run for the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

representing the Civic Democratic Party.

Personal life

She was married for two years to the actor

Jiří Pleskot Jiří Pleskot (3 May 1922 – 1 December 1997) was a Czech actor. He appeared in over 60 films and television shows 1958 and 1990. Selected filmography * '' The End of Agent W4C'' (1967) * '' Hotel for Strangers'' (1967) * '' Days of Betra ...

, and spent 27 years with

. She had no children.

Awards

*1969 –

Finále Plzeň Film Festival Finále Plzeň is a film festival based in the Czech Republic. It focuses on Czech feature and documentary films. The best film is awarded the Golden Kingfisher by a jury. It was founded in 1967 and the first year was held in 1968. The festival wa ...

Audience Award for Most Popular Actress *1998 – Thalia Award *2006 – Medal of Merit

Death

Jiřina Jirásková died on 7 January 2013, aged 81.

Notable theatre appearances

Source: *'' Caesar and Cleopatra'' (Cleopatra) *''

The Government Inspector ''The Government Inspector'', also known as ''The Inspector General'' (, literally: "Inspector"), is a satirical play by Russian dramatist and novelist Nikolai Gogol. Originally published in 1836, the play was revised for an 1842 edition. Base ...

'' (Anna Andreyevna Skvoznik Dmuchanovská's governess) *''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

'' (Queen Margaret) *''

The Diary of Anne Frank ''The Diary of a Young Girl'', commonly referred to as ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', is a book of the writings from the Dutch-language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of t ...

'' (Anne Frank) *''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...

'' (Hero) *''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'' (Olivia) *''

Ivanov Ivanov, Ivanoff or Ivanow (masculine, , Sometimes the stress is on Ива́нов in Bulgarian if it is a middle name, or in Russian as a rare variant of pronunciation), or Ivanova (feminine, , ) is one of the most common surnames in Russia and Bu ...

'' (Anna Petrovna) *''

Nora Nora, NORA, or Norah may refer to: * Nora (name), a feminine given name People with the surname * Arlind Nora (born 1980), Albanian footballer * Pierre Nora (1931–2025), French historian * Simon Nora (1921–2006), French politician Place ...

'' (Kristina Linde) *''

The Full Monty ''The Full Monty'' is a 1997 comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy. The film is set ...

'' (Jeanette) *''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' () is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Pu ...

'' (Charlotte) *'' Henry IV'' (Marchioness Matilda Spina)

Selected filmography

1960s

* 1961 - ''Every Penny Counts'' (''Každá koruna dobrá'') as Music teacher * 1961 - ''Skid'' (''Smyky'') as Luisa * 1961 - ''Pohled do očí'' as Olga Valentová * 1964 - ''The Chintamani Carpet and a Swindler'' as Translator * 1964 - ''Courage for Every Day'' as Olina * 1964 - ''Einstein kontra Babinský'' as Typist Dáša * 1964 - ''Kdy brečí muži'' as Mother * 1965 - ''Tales About Children'' as Mother * 1965 - ''

Ninety Degrees in the Shade 90 (ninety) is the natural number following 89 and preceding 91. In the English language, the numbers 90 and 19 are often confused, as they sound very similar. When carefully enunciated, they differ in which syllable is stressed: 19 /naɪnˈt ...

'' as Věra * 1966 - ''Searching'' as Helena Hrabáková * 1967 - ''

Hotel for Strangers ''Hotel for Strangers'' () is a 1967 Czechoslovak comedy film directed by Antonín Máša. It was entered into the 1967 Cannes Film Festival. The film reconstructs the last days of murdered young poet Petr Hudec (Petr Čepek), from the random en ...

'' as Marie * 1967 - ''Grandpa, Kylian and I'' as Mother * 1967 - ''The House of Lost Souls'' as Dr. Dvořáková * 1968 - ''Sňatky z rozumu'' as Hana * 1968 - ''Jak se zbavit Helenky'' as Viki * 1969 - ''Flirt se slečnou Stříbrnou'' as Mrs. Blumenfeldová * 1969 - ''Světáci'' as Marcela * 1969 - '' Já, truchlivý bůh'' as Mrs. Stenclová

1970s

* 1970 - ''

Case for a Rookie Hangman ''Case for a Rookie Hangman'' () is a Czechoslovak drama film directed by Pavel Juráček. It was released in 1970. The movie belongs to the Czech New Wave. The movie can be classified as a surrealist or absurdist satire, and it is based loos ...

'' as Tadeásová * 1970 - ''Devilish Honeymoon'' as Alzbeta * 1970 - ''

On the Comet ''Na kometě'' (literally ''On the Comet'') is a 1970 Czech film directed by Karel Zeman, based on Jules Verne's 1877 novel ''Off on a Comet''. The film is a combination of animated and live action film. Animation is based on illustrations for V ...

'' as Ester

1980s

* 1980 - ''Julek'' as Sword eater's wife * 1980 - ''Dnes v jednom domě'' as Dr. Frýbová (8 episodes) * 1980 - ''Útěky domů'' as Actress * 1981 - ''The Hit'' as Script * 1982 - ''Jak svět prichází o básníky'' as School director * 1983 - ''Bota jménem Melichar'' as Moutelíková * 1984 - ''Barrandovské nocturno aneb Jak film zpíval a tančil'' as Singer * 1984 - ''Křtiny'' as Secretary Karolína * 1984 - ''Katapult'' as Anna * 1984 - ''

Slunce, seno, jahody ''Slunce, seno, jahody'' (''Sun, hay, strawberries'') is a Czech language, Czech comedy film made in 1983, usually regarded as one of the classics of the Czech comedy industry. Written and directed by Zdeněk Troška, it was filmed and set in Hoš ...

'' as Hubičková * 1984 - ''

Vinobraní ''Vinobraní'' is a 1982 Czechoslovak film starring Josef Kemr Josef Kemr (20 June 1922 – 15 January 1995) was a Czech actor. He starred in the 1969/1970 film ''Witchhammer'' under director Otakar Vávra. Selected filmography *''Lízin ...

'' as Albína Brousková * 1984 - ''

Jára Cimrman Lying, Sleeping ''Jára Cimrman Lying, Sleeping'' () is a 1983 Czechoslovak comedy film directed by Ladislav Smoljak. It is a biopic of the fictional Czech national hero Jára Cimrman, who is portrayed by one of his inventors, Zdeněk Svěrák. The story is f ...

'' as Mother * 1985 - ''Egy kicsit én, egy kicsit te'' as Eva Anyja * 1985 - ''

Sestřičky ''The Nurses '' () is a 1984 Czech language, Czech comedy film directed by Karel Kachyňa based on the novel by Adolf Branald. Cast * Alena Mihulová as Nurse Marie Sahulová * Jiřina Jirásková as Old Nurse * Ondřej Vetchý as Horsekeeper Pe ...

'' as Granny * 1986 - ''Klobouk, měšec a láska'' as Enenke * 1987 - ''Stačí stisknout'' as Chairwoman Macková * 1987 - ''Arabesky'' as Sefrnova * 1988 - ''Kdyz v ráji pršelo'' as Dočkajka * 1988 - ''Muj hříšný muž'' as Jeníkova * 1989 - ''Twins at the Zoo'' as Josefina * 1989 - ''

Slunce, seno a pár facek ''Slunce, seno a pár facek'' (''Sun, hay and a couple of smacks'') is a Czech comedy film depicting life in one of the country's rural regions. It was released in 1989. Cast * Helena Růžičková as Mařena Škopková, Blažena's mother * Stan ...

'' as Director Hubičková * 1989 - ''Příběh '88'' as Zdena

1990s

* 1990 - ''Motýlí čas'' as School director * 1990 - ''Muka obraznosti'' as Artlova * 1991 - ''

Slunce, seno, erotika ''Slunce, seno, erotika '' () is a Czech comedy film. It was released in 1991. Cast * Helena Růžičková as Mařena Škopková, Blažena's mother * Stanislav Tříska as Vladimír Škopek, Blažena's father * Valerie Kaplanová as grandmothe ...

'' as Headmaster Hubičková * 1993 - ''Jedna kočka za druhou'' as Landlady * 1994 - ''Zámek v Čechách'' as Countess

2000s

* 2005 - ''Dobrá čtvrt'' as Mrs. Svobodová * 2005 - ''

Angel of the Lord The (or an) Angel of the Lord ( '' mal’āḵ YHWH'' "messenger of Yahweh") is an entity appearing repeatedly in the Tanakh on behalf of the God of Israel. The guessed term ''malakh YHWH'', which occurs 65 times in the text of the Hebrew Bi ...

'' as Abbess Magdalena * 2006 - ''

Rafťáci ''Rafťáci'' () is a Czech comedy film directed by Karel Janák released in 2006. Cast *Vojtěch Kotek as Dany *Jiří Mádl as Filip *Milan Šteindler as Dany's father *Veronika Freimanová as Dany's mother *Oldřich Navrátil as Borek * Jan ...

'' as Dany's granny

References

External links

*
UNICEF's tribute to Jirásková
(in Czech) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jiraskova, Jirina 1931 births 2013 deaths Czech film actresses Czech television actresses Actresses from Prague UNICEF people Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic) politicians Czech officials of the United Nations Recipients of the Thalia Award Prague Conservatory alumni